


You Had Me At Cupcake

by lancelitttle (lancelot2point0)



Category: BBC Merlin, Merlin - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bakery and Coffee Shop, F/M, Gen, Merlin is mentioned but does not appear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:33:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28965411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lancelot2point0/pseuds/lancelitttle
Summary: Gwen has a paper due in two days, and the really distracting new barista is the only one on duty today.Gwencelot Coffee Shop AU
Relationships: Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 6
Collections: Gwen Fest





	You Had Me At Cupcake

**Author's Note:**

> Never thought I'd write one of these things, yet here we are.

Gwen shook the snow from her hair and shoes as she pushed open the door of  _ The Cryptic Dragon _ . 

The warmth was nearly too much after the biting winds outside and she hurried to take off her thick coat. 

Coat removed, Gwen felt comfortably warm, with sensation returning to her toes, fingers and nose. 

She dropped her coat on the back of her chair and her bag on the table. 

Today was very obviously a slow day for the - place. 

Gwen had never found a word that quite described  _ The Cryptic Dragon.  _ Some, like Merlin's friend Gwaine, might call it a pub. Others, like Elena, might call it a café. Disreputable, Fine Dining Establishment, a front for an elaborate pyramid scheme, and a waste of space are among the other categories she has encountered in relation to the place. 

To Gwen it was a perfect place to work. As long as she ordered a drink every now and then she was left to work through her never-ending mountain of assignments. 

It helped that one of her best friends worked here and was the owner's nephew. 

What did not help, however, was the newest barista/waiter. He was very unhelpful in that he was distracting. Not that he was actively being so, just his presence was enough. 

He was Merlin's friend. Best friend, probably, from the way they went on. From what Gwen had seen, Merlin was actually open with him. The smiles were genuine in a way that Gwen rarely saw around other people. 

That was the first thing Gwen had noticed about the distracting new addition to the team. 

The second thing she had noticed was his smile, it was a real smile which reached his eyes. And his eyes were really very pretty. 

His voice was amazing too. 

Gwen had almost forgotten that she was meant to be giving him her order, that first time, and was truly grateful that Merlin had not been there to witness the scene. 

And he was coming out from the kitchen now with a tray of fresh cinnamon rolls. 

His emergence roused the three other people who were there and they immediately lined up at the counter as Gwen made her way slowly to join them, praying that Merlin would magically appear and save her from this situation. 

Merlin, the traitor, did not appear and Gwen was left to manage the interaction as best she could. 

"Hi," his voice was every bit as musical as she remembered, "Gwen, right?" 

He knew her name? 

"Uhh, yeah, that's me." Gwen twisted her rings trying to think of what to say next, "I, uh, I don't think we've met?" 

"Oh, no we haven't," his eyes widened and he grimaced, "sorry! That sounded really creepy. I'm Lance, Merlin's friend." 

Gwen took the extended hand, he - Lance - had a good grip, and his hand was warm, "I'm Gwen, but you already know that. How do you know Merlin?" 

"We met in high school," Lance looked at her for a moment, "I don't know how much you know about that, um, and you? How long have you known him?" 

"We met first year uni, I watched him get into and almost win a fight against Arthur Pendragon," Gwen smiled, "I helped him with the minor injuries sustained because his uncle would kill him if he found out." 

"Gauis might have," Lance shrugged, "But then, where would he get staff on short notice?"

There was now a tray with a cinnamon roll and a mug of hot chocolate on it sitting atop the counter. 

Noticing Gwen's look of surprise Lance grinned, "Merlin left  _ very  _ specific instructions, said you have a paper due in two days." 

He was on the other side of the counter now, picking up the tray. 

Falling into step with him, Gwen frowned, "Where is he? He's usually working today." 

"Terribly sorry m'lady, but that is information I cannot divulge at the present time," He shrugged apologetically although his tone was anything but. 

Realising that she was back at her table, with sustenance Gwen shook her head, "Thank you, Lance." 

"My pleasure, just call if you need anything." 

Gwen watched him disappear back into the kitchen before she sat down.

* * *

The hours slipped away and the next time Gwen took stock of her surroundings there were a few more people filling up the tables that were haphazardly strewn about the room. 

Her paper was nearly done. All that was left was to go over it a few times and fine tune it, and that could wait until tomorrow. 

When she returned from the washroom, she found Freya waiting at the counter and joined her, deciding today was not the day to go home and cook something. 

Lance appeared with a bowl of stew which he handed to Freya, nested in a dishtowel. 

"What kind of stew is that? I don't think I've ever seen it here before?" Gwen shot a questioning look at Lance who smiled. 

"It's special, off the menu if you like. What can I get for you Gwen? Merlin didn't leave instructions for lunch." 

"I'm still surprised he left instructions at all." 

Gwen looked at Freya in surprise, "You knew he left instructions?" 

"Lance told me, before he went to get my stew." she shrugged, "You should get today's special." 

"Uh, okay, I'll meet you back at my table." 

"I'll bring it to you, you don't have to wait here." 

"Thanks!" Gwen had barely finished the word before Lance disappeared into the kitchen. 

"You know Lance?" Gwen couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice. 

"Mm, yeah," Freya nodded, "we've known each other for a long time now." 

"You have?" Having reached the table, Gwen collected her papers and pens that lay on top of it. 

"Yeah," Freya smiled as she sat down, "We met Merlin separately though, none of us connected the dots for a while. How's your paper?" 

Gwen shook her head. For as long as she'd known Merlin and Freya, they both had remained so vague about anything that happened in their pasts. "It's almost ready, and for now it's tomorrow's problem." 

"Your meal, m'lady," Lance placed a plate of spaghetti bolognaise in front of Gwen, and a coffee. 

"Thank you," Gwen smiled at him. 

"As before, my pleasure." 

"Huh, Merlin was right," Freya watched Lance weaving his way around the tables as he checked on the customers. 

"About what?" Gwen asked. 

Freya smiled at her, "Don't worry about that. What are you doing this weekend?" 

Lunch passed comfortably and Gwen felt decidedly more relaxed than she had that morning. 

Eventually she and Freya made their way to the counter to pay. When they had finished Lance tossed a securely wrapped takeaway box to Freya who immediately put it in her bag. 

"This one is on the house," Lance smiled as he handed Gwen a box with a bow on it, "Let me know if you like it?" 

"It's for Húan," Freya said as they stepped out of  _ The Cryptic Dragon,  _ "Gauis disproves of him getting human food, but burnt biscuits don't seem to negatively affect him, so Lance and Merlin smuggle him stuff." 

"You feed your dog Merlin's experiments too ?" Gwen asked. 

Freya laughed, "No, that could actually be dangerous." 

Now safely ensconced in Gwen's car, Freya turned to her, "What's yours?" 

"I don't know," Gwen gently pulled on the ribbon forming the bow on top of the box, "Let's find out." 

She lifted the lid off the small box. There was writing on the inside of the lid, but the cupcake was what caught her attention. 

The icing was a deep red and there were golden letters on it. 

Freya somehow read the word before Gwen did and let out a giggle. 

"Well, what do you think?" 

"I think, if you hold this for a moment," Gwen handed the box to Freya and opened her phone, grinning, "I have a date this weekend." 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there is my first attempt at a coffee shop AU. Ngl, it was difficult at times.  
> The biggest thank you to RangeroftheSouth for helping me through this, and for the name! ILY, bro. 
> 
> I'd love to hear what you thought of this, so you can lemme know in the comments if you'd like, or come yell at me on tumblr [@lancelitttle](https://lancelitttle.tumblr.com/) or [@twosidesofthesameidiot](https://twosidesofthesameidiot.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Hope y'all are keeping safe!


End file.
